ICYMI: Lunchbox Acquires PH Theatrical Distribution Rights to A24’s Cannes Breakout ‘Club Kid’
SINEGANG.ph published this press release by Lunchbox. No staff writer participated in writing this article.
Independent entertainment marketing agency Lunchbox is adding a bold new course to its menu, securing the Philippine theatrical distribution rights to American queer comedy-drama Club Kid, A24’s highly anticipated Cannes breakout film.
This sets the table for Lunchbox’s shift from the first independent Filipino movie marketing outfit to a full-course player in the film industry, a move that comes fresh off its top-prize sweep at the 2026 Kidlat Awards for an out-of-the-box marketing campaign promoting Petersen Vargas’ queer indie film Some Nights I Feel Like Walking.
The acquisition also marks the Manila-based agency’s solo debut in distribution after successfully co-distributing Antoinette Jadaone's Berlinale-winning sports drama film Sunshine in a handholding capacity.
No stranger to international features, Lunchbox — which previously handled the local marketing for A24 titles Priscilla and The Smashing Machine — will now step up to bring the critically acclaimed Club Kid to Philippine cinemas this November.
Written and directed by American internet comedy sensation Jordan Firstman in his feature debut, Club Kid is a broad family comedy-drama set in the pulsing New York City club scene. Firstman himself stars in the film as a gay 30-something party promoter whose wild lifestyle turns around when a 10-year-old son he never knew existed suddenly arrives at his doorstep.
Premiering to a six-minute standing ovation in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section before screening at Telluride Film Festival with early Oscar buzz, Club Kid is exactly the kind of complete meal Lunchbox looks to serve up for Filipino moviegoers, said filmmaker and Lunchbox founder Carl Chavez.
“Even if it’s a foreign film, it can still find a home here in the Philippines,” he said. “It’s about the importance of families in whichever form it may be— stories I think we Filipinos relate to in general.”
“True to Lunchbox’s core, we really try to champion stories that hit close to home,” added Chavez, who previously led Lunchbox’s dynamic marketing campaigns for gritty Filipino titles Filipiñana, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, Sunshine and box-office hit The Loved One.
An Appetite for Risk
Acquiring the local rights to Club Kid is like gambling for a dream, said Chavez, who took a shot at reaching out to A24 after the film resonated with Lunchbox’s vision.
Stirred by an appetite for risk, Chavez said Lunchbox will now go all in to spice up its Kidlat-winning ways by bringing marketing and distribution together on the same plate.
“It’s a big investment for us since we’re a small company. For big companies, it’s probably loose change, but for an independent boutique agency, it’s a big gamble,” he noted. “But I like taking risks. We will make this one count.”
And what’s the gamble for? To crack the right distribution recipe — a feat Chavez seeks to achieve by leveraging Lunchbox’s marketing flair.
“I know this is a foreign film, but it's also a test for Filipino audiences. The dream is when we crack something out of it, we could apply that to Filipino films in general,” the Lunchbox founder said.
Delivering on its signature gritty, immersive campaign style, Lunchbox vows to cook up that recipe with its unconventional taste leading up to Club Kid’s local theatrical release in November.
“Our objective is not just to distribute Club Kid, but to market it by breaking traditions,” Chavez said. “It will be a full experience for the audience.”
